Dr Tinyiku Ngoveni Urges Stricter Measures for Witness Protection After Madlanga Commission Deaths

• UNISA criminal expert Dr Tinyiku Ngoveni urged protection for whistleblowers amid alarming witness deaths linked to corruption
• The Madlanga Commission faces a crisis as whistleblower safety jeopardizes the criminal justice system's integrity
• Exclusive insights he shared with Briefly News reveal threats to witnesses and implications of powerful figures in ongoing investigations

Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of the Current Affairs desk, South Africa, covered a range of criminal activities, including cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, taxi violence, shootings, police investigations, police shootouts, and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

PRETORIA, GAUTENG — Dr Tinyiku Ngoveni, the Chairperson of the Department of Criminology and Security Science at the University of South Africa (UNISA), warned that urgent action must be taken to protect whistleblowers and future witnesses in high-profile criminal investigations. His remarks followed the death of Wiandre Pretorius, who was linked to testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

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Ngoveni spoke to Briefly News in an exclusive interview on 10 February 2026. Ngoveni warned that the criminal justice system was on the verge of collapse and that urgent action be taken against those who are implicated at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. He discussed the consequences the criminal justice system could experience if the witnesses' safety was not guaranteed.

Criminal expert calls for protection for whistleblowers

Ngoveni said that the criminal elements that have been implicated in the Commission involve people in positions of power, including financial gurus, high-ranking police officers, and suspected cartel bosses. He said the resistance of many whistleblowers to serve as witnesses remains a challenge, and this results in crime evolving daily.

Ngoveni, commenting on the death of Witness D, Marius van der Merwe, on 5 December 2025, said seasoned criminals have nothing to lose and will do everything they can to cover themselves.

"They will try to eliminate anyone who will be seen as a hindrance, and that could spill the beans. This is highly achievable, taking into consideration that even when the police manage to arrest the one who pulled the trigger, they find it difficult to track down the mastermind behind the killings," he said.

Ngoveni cited van der Merwe and former African National Congress Youth League Secretary-General Sindiso Magaqa, who died on 4 September 2017, months after he was shot for attempting to expose corruption at the Umzimkhulu Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. Sibusiso Ncengwa was sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to killing Magaqa. Ngoveni said that the lesson learned was that those who are yet to testify before the Commission must be assessed and proactively protected accordingly without any compromise.

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"This will assist the members to be willing and able to expose almost everything without losing their lives," he pointed out.

DJ Sbu implicated in Madlanga Commission

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the former Head of Legal Services, Kemi Behari, alleged that DJ Sbu and his former business partner TK Nciza benefited from corruption in the municipality. He testified during his appearance before the Commission on 9 February.

Behari alleged that he summoned Nciza to account for irregular findings in a case involving a senior manager. However, the case was dropped following alleged pressure from Nciza.

Source: Briefly News